What do you prefer broody vs incubator?

[domromer]

Go with the Broody hen. We've done both now and it's so much nicer for the chicks to be raised by a hen not a heat lamp. They are already outside foraging with her and they aren't even a week old! This set of chicks is so far ahead of chicks raised in a brooder it's amazing. The other hens don't bother the chicks at all. The mother hen is very friendly so we handle the chicks while she munches away at grass.

If I had my choice I'd never raise another batch in a brooder/incubator if I could avoid it. For me it's better for a mother hen to do it.

 

[Beekissed]

Domromer, what breed is your mother hen in the pic? She is beautiful!!!!

 

[HillCountryMomma]

As others have pointed out, I think it's just a matter of pros and cons.

For smaller hatches, I don't think you can beat a good broody. Incubators just don't function as well as a mother hen (imagine that, Mother Nature knows what she's doing!).

Do note I said *good* broody. They are not all created equal. With a good attentive broody hen and good quality eggs you should expect a very high hatch rate. My experience has always been 95% or above. The hatch rate will go down with a sloppy broody. I've had two broody hens hatch chicks this year. Once was outstanding, 99% hatch rate. The other hen is just a total ding bat, had about a 60% hatch rate. The good momma is in a tractor with her babies. The cruddy momma is back out with the flock and her babies are in a brooder in the house!

With an incubator, I've read not to expect hatch rates higher than 60-70%. Obviouslly some people can and do get MUCH better rates than that. But on the whole, I don't think incubators are as good or as consistant.

One word of warning... don't expect a broody hen to be enough predator protection for new hatched chicks if left to free range. I had a broody hatch chicks in January. I left her out with the flock, all the chicks got eaten.

My good broody this spring protected all her chicks until I moved her out of the barn and into the tractor. The bad broody let one of her chicks get eaten and another got attacked before I took them away from her.

I had 24 fertile eggs in an incubator right now (ran out of broody hens!

). Candled today on day 10, had to toss 5 eggs already that had either not developed, or were dead. Already lost 21% of my eggs and we're not even done yet!

Liz